$30 million Oceanside schools bond passes

The Oceanside School District’s $30 million bond proposal passed by a comfortable margin on Feb. 11, with 62 percent of voters approving the measure.

Polls were open at Oceanside High School and schools 5, 6 and 8, and 955 residents turned out to vote. Of those, 596 voted in favor of the bond, while 359 voted against it.

Proposed last November and accepted by the Board of Education on Jan. 17, the bond is intended to fund improvements that the district would not otherwise be able to afford, including upgrades in technology, security, energy conservation, parking lots and locker rooms.

“I am extremely proud of the Ocean side community,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Phyllis Harrington. “Their support for this bond represents an understanding of its value and importance to our entire community, but especially for our children, who are our future.”

Security upgrades are planned for every building in the district, and include exterior and interior cameras, access controls, panic alarms, strobe lights, and public address system interlocks. Upgrades in technology will include wireless access ports at the high school, which will allow the district’s iPad initiative to move to that building in the coming years, as well as infrastructure improvements at the elementary schools.

The district will also introduce technology to increase the use of “green” energy. Those upgrades will include replacement of existing lighting with new fluorescent and LED lighting. Occupancy sensors will be added to shut off lighting in unoccupied spaces, and solar panels will be installed on the roofs of district buildings.

According to the school district’s official bond presentation, infrastructure renovations will cost $22.48 million; conservation measures, $3.85 million; security upgrades, $2.66 million; and technology upgrades, $1 million. The average home will see a tax increase of about $109.58 per year for the life of the bond.

“I assure the community that I will be a diligent and tenacious leader as we put the results of today’s vote into motion,” Harrington said, “and bring the necessary work we need in our buildings to completion.”